Hello all, but particularly Ian. I've just joined your forum, pleased to be accepted.
Scanning through I found your Hydrcut chat. Firstly, full praise for the MK 4 model, very impressive. Hydrocut holds a special interest for me as I worked for them back in the 70s. I started at the time when the then Giraffe was being developed, my detail was to become the Giraffe specialist. I started in the fab shop, working through the various bays where individual weldments were built, to learn every part, where it went, and its purpose as part of the whole. I spent a lot of time under the wing of an amazing welder/fabricator, a smashing chap called Jack Amos. He was retired but came in at the request of the director Tim Chamberlain to sort out the prototype builds and assemble suitable jigs for production machines. He was well qualified for this as he had worked as prototype and jig builder for Whitlock at Great Yeldham. A very clever man.. it was an honour to work with him.
After working through the fab shop, I moved on to assembly and testing and also developed the role of service trouble shooter alongside becoming company demonstrator. It was a very enjoyable and absorbing job.
Hydrocut built a range of machines, mostly hedge cutters...
Giraffe high reach cutter.. later renamed G-RAHF.. after a legal battle
Simian... an update of the G-RAHF.. with an indexable third arm
Farmer.. a small rear mounted side arm flap hedger
MK.. 1-2-3-4.. mid mounted side arm saw and flail cutter
Boadicea flail
Maximum.. front loader mounted flap... also rear linkage mounted
Universal... a version of the MK 4 with a slewing arm... good for corners... could also dig ditches
Hycrack... rotating screw wood supplier
Hypoint... hydraulic post pointer
All damn good machines... I ran a Simian on a Zetor 8045 on contract work for several years. I believe somewhere on here there are some G-RAHF models, built for Agriplant of Bourne... I built two of the full size machines for them.
I won't "drone on" .... clever little company... still selling splitters and pointers.
